Erling Haaland’s freakish scoring spree summed up by otherworldly leap for second of four goals

It looks comfortable but it was not. In the end we created more chances but in the transition we were not precise in the last pass. But Erling [Haaland] is back to business. Penalties are a guarantee but the second and fourth [goals] were unbelievable.

“They are a really, really good team but we made calls in the right moment, especially with the fourth because at 3-1 anything can happen.

“The 20 minutes he [Haaland] played against Nottingham Forest was really good and today as well. We won, but it was so long an injury. It is welcome he arrived in the right moment. But we arrive together because Erling and Kevin [De Bruyne] have been out, but Phil [Foden] and Julian [Alvarez] have played so well.”

Not bad, 25 goals this season. We keep going.

I have a manager who pushes me. I try to develop every single day. We have four finals left for our season and we are going to go for it.

[The header] was a beautiful goal. I enjoyed that one. I am scoring more headers as well - I try to develop and keep going.

I don’t know what more I can say. The fourth was a great pass from Phil [Foden].

First of all it’s about winning the games - of course you want the best possible goal difference you can but we are not thinking about that.”

Another one of those Erling Haaland goal feasts in which there is little to do apart from grapple for superlatives and rummage through the statistical books to try and articulate his achievements. Has to be said, it is as sharp as he has looked for some time. City, three wins from the title, four wins from the double. Doesn’t matter how much bottle Arsenal are showing if City continue like this.

Job done in emphatic fashion for City, who are now just three wins from a fourth consecutive league title. Fulham, Spurs and West Ham next. It increasingly feels that Arsenal need one of those freak results you occasionally see, when a dominant side contrives to miss a hatful of chances and draw 0-0. Erling Haaland is back among the goals, his header and curled fourth were superb. Another week of the calendar goes by in the title race, and it remains advantage City.

Just the four minutes of additional time to play. Nunes had the chance to control and finish in the box, but his touch let him down.

Doku with the chance to shoot from the edge of the box but his shot was tame. Wolves’ players will just want the final whistle now. City’s players look in the mood to find another.

Brought on for Haaland a couple of minutes ago, Alvarez finishes across Sa smartly with his left foot. City have five, and it could well have been a couple more.

City have not quite taken the chance to run up the score, but I think the importance of goal difference is overplayed in any case. If City pass Arsenal’s goal difference, they will have won every game and be champions anyway.

Nice cross from Ait-Nouri after a rare loss of possession from Rodri but Sarabia could not connect. Guardiola making a triple change: Grealish, Nunes and Doku on for De Bruyne, Foden and Bernardo. Boos from the Wolves fans for Nunes.

Just what you don’t want to see when you are 4-1 down. Pep empties more of his bench and throws on Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku and former Wolves star Matheus Nunes. Haaland, surprisingly, stays on. What price a fifth?

After an explosive start to the half, this is petering out a little though Mateo Kovacic just drew a fine save from Jose Sa so City have clearly not downed tools just yet. Guardiola has also been able to bring on John Stones who will, surely, have some role to play in the rest of this season.

City toying with Wolves now, one and two-touch play around the penalty area. Foden’s shot deflects behind for a corner. A loose ball falls for Kovacic to strike in the area, but Sa gets behind his shot to keep it out.

Foden with an exquisite turn, run and cross through midfield, and Toti’s header took the ball away from Haaland just as he was winding up for a scissored volley. That could have been chance for one of the goals of the season.

Not that City were in any great danger, but they have restored some order in the last few minutes. Longer spells of possession higher up the pitch, exactly what Guardiola wants. Less entertaining for the neutral, but that is not their job.

City now making a change: Ake off, Stones on.

That was lively. Wolves score an unlikely goal through Hwang Hee-chan but those travelling fans are still bouncing up and down when Phil Foden’s long ball finds Haaland and he lashes one in with a finish that threatened to take the net off. Think that was the most popular goal of the day, judging by the response from fans.

The flag goes up against Ait-Nouri but it was a nice move from Wolves. There have been some positives in possession for Wolves today, but they have not been able to manage the game defensively. As the game gets stretched again, Traore brings down De Bruyne to stop a counter-attack.

Wolves continuing to take swings at City, but it is making the contest a see-saw game. Haaland with yet another attempt that Sa tips over the bar acrobatically. Cunha tries to dribble the ball out of his own box and is caught, but Gvardiol shoots over.

An eventful start to the second half, but we are back to where we started: City with a three-goal lead. Wolves somehow needed to hold firm and score the next goal. Haaland has another shot deflected behind. He is showing today why teams sit so deep against City.

Any hint of a Wolves comeback snuffed out, as City ruthlessly exploit the space left by a team chasing the game. Foden with a diagonal pass over the top for his centre-forward, who controlled, set himself, and curled an unerring shot into the far corner. Haaland has four.

Surely no more than a consolation goal for Wolves, but City punished for some sloppiness. Guardiola unhappy on the touchline. Ederson palmed a cross to the back post and Hwang was there to turn the ball home smartly. 

Ake with a loose touch that looked to have opened the door for Ait-Nouri, but Cunha was offside after his team-mate passed to him.

Jose Sa with a smart save after Foden hooked the ball towards goal. Rodri’s pass was just a little behind him, but the flag goes up for offside against Haaland in any case.

Wolves continuing to try and build out from the back, but they are failing to exploit the space in behind the City defence. Kovacic then helps City play through Wolves press and start a dangerous attack. It does not look as if O’Neil is going for damage limitation.

Surely more goals in this game for City if they push for them.

Bellegarde has replaced Lemina, who was on a booking.

Not sure why Craig Pawson needed VAR for that one! Looked a clear pen by Nelson Semedo on Haaland and, after a trip to the monitor, he gives it. 3-0, Haaland first-half hat-trick, after he scored a hat-trick in 14 minutes against Wolves here last season.

That could not have been any more routine for City as they amble off with their halftime lead. An interesting second half sub-plot might yet be the goal difference advantage Arsenal have. It was ten before kick-off, it’s now seven and, while catching that with just three games left after today will be difficult, it might not be impossible if City go for the kill after the break and get another three.

Man City have barely got out of second gear, but they are going to move to within three wins of the title. Erling Haaland with a first-half hat-trick, two from the penalty spot. Wolves will feel aggrieved by the first penalty, which was harsh on Ait-Nouri, but that feels academic now. Arsenal fans will have switched off and searched for a nearby beer garden by now.

Wolves just want to hear the half-time whistle now. They have decided that attack is the best form of defence given their absentees, but it has proven a case of playing with fire. And they have been burned.

Sa guessed the right way on this occasion, but the power of the spot kick beat him. Haaland’s 21st senior hat-trick. Surely game over now. City will have their eye on eating into Arsenal’s goal difference.

Semedo has been shown a yellow card. Haaland is stepping up and can complete a first-half hat-trick. Will he take it right-footed so it is a perfect hat-trick? I think not...

This is going to be a City penalty. Semedo caught Haaland on the back of the leg, and was nowhere near the ball. No need for the Wolves man to have a nibble from there.

“It’s not football anymore,” sing the Wolves fans.

Appeals for another City penalty after Haaland broke into space behind the Wolves defence. Semedo did well to keep up with him, but he looked like he caught Haaland and won none of the ball. VAR is checking...

City have won the ball six times in Wolves defensive third in the opening 40 minutes. O’Neil’s team have come to play, but putting the ball at risk in their own half has cost them. With Hwang and Cunha, do they need to be more direct?

Akanji has taken a whack from a City corner and play stops for 30 seconds to a minute. City now have this game in the palm of their hand. Been a pretty low-key performance, but they are doing the job without much fuss.

City have not been at their fluent best in this game, but have punished Wolves’ defensive vulnerabilities. Once again they win the ball off a Wolves team trying to pass from deep, and Rodri dinks up a ball to Haaland at the back post who leaps to a great height to plant a header in the far corner.

And that’s just what Wolves didn’t need after their hopeful spell of possession. Haaland rose superbly to head in his 23rd goal of the season for a three-goal advantage in the Gold Boot race … oh, and he has missed seven games through injury this season.

The game has been a little scrappy in the last few minutes, both teams turning the ball over. Wolves give a free-kick away in a dangerous crossing position after another loss of possession. Sa made a meal of dealing with the cross, but he was pushed by Akanji and wins a foul.

City have the quality to pull clear at any moment, but Wolves are in this game. They have steadied themselves since the penalty, and are starting to play through City and keep comfortable possession. Haaland guilty of giving the ball away cheaply a couple of times.

Good spell of pressure from Wolves this, and their large travelling contingent of fans know it. Ederson has been required to come out and make a couple of strong catches. Not quite the foregone conclusion this looked five minutes ago.

Foden with a menacing dribble into the box but Wolves just about managed to prevent him slaloming all the way through on goal. Ederson does very to claim a Semedo cross at its highest point when Hwang was ready to attack it.

Wolves with their most promising move of the match. Lovely turn in central midfield from Gomes to burst through the lines, and a threatening cross is met by Cunha. Ake did well to block the header. Wolves funnel back behind the ball and City have possession again.

Traore gets a foot in in midfield, and Cunha dribbles inside from the right. The Wolves forward’s touch gets away from him though, and he fouls Rodri. Wolves are trying to push numbers forward when they get the chance, but City are almost tempting them to do so.

The camera keeps giving us a close-up of Gary O’Neil, the Wolves boss serving a touchline ban and in the stands today. The look on his face as he re-watched that wild Rayan Ait-Nouri foul on Josko Gvardiol for the City penalty was telling. I think “disbelief” is the word.

Wolves hanging on by their fingernails at the moment, they are struggling to defend their penalty box. They are lacking the presence of Collins and Dawson back there. City looking dangerous from inswinging crosses.

De Bruyne finding space in the early stages, but his execution has let him down so far. Another snap shot skewed wide.

Good save from Sa! Diving down to his right to pluck Haaland’s header away. City getting firmly on top now and starting to pull Wolves apart.

City now in a comfortable position, and for a split second it looked like they might get another penalty. Kilman pulled out of the challenge on Kovacic. The Etihad continues to sound incredibly flat.

Much like Bukayo Saka for Arsenal earlier in the day, Haaland sends Sa the wrong way and tucks it away to his right.

Well, just as I was about to say this was going to be about City being patient, they take a 12th minute lead from the spot. Erling Haaland, with his 15th penalty in 17 attempts in his City career, makes it 1-0 and this could be a long afternoon for Wolves. Haaland’s only misses?? Against Bayern Munich and Sheffield United - compare and contrast. It’s also 22 in the Premier League this season - two clear now in the Golden Boot competition.

Bernardo stood up a cross which came all the way across the area for Gvardiol to try and shoot on the bounce. Ait-Nouri was judged to have caught him after the shot was taken. I’m not sure the Wolves man could have done much about it. Soft.

Erling Haaland to take...

Rodri takes on a volley from distance, which flies over the bar. The Etihad is sounds fairly quiet at the moment, these games tend to be tense until the first goal arrives. City starting to work Wolves over from side to side, with lots of possession in the final third.

The one thing to give Wolves, and Arsenal fans, hope is that they have several players who can travel with the ball. Cunha and Ait-Nouri looking sharp in the early stages. City might fancy themselves to prevail if the game becomes too see-saw, though.

City starting to monopolise the ball. Gvardiol is pushing on from left-back, allowing Foden to come inside. On the other side, Walker is more reserved with Bernardo staying wider.

Haaland with flick into the path of De Bruyne’s path in the box, but he could not set himself to shoot. Quite an open start to the game. Traore does well to drive through the midfield for Wolves and bring them upfield.

Man City found space after a Wolves giveaway inside the first 30 seconds, but the ball didn’t quite fall for De Bruyne to strike. Then Wolves send a ball over the top of Ait-Nouri to chase, and Ederson comes out of his area to head clear for a throw. Wolves playing with a back three in possession, and have set their stall out to try and keep the ball at least. Loose touch from the goalkeeper Sa and he is forced to clear for a throw.

Wolves get the game started, playing in their red away kit.

We all know the shape of this game: Wolves will sit deep with a back five and try to threaten on the break. City will try to break them down. How much drama we get will depend on whether City find an early breakthrough or not.

Nice touch before kick-off as the recently retired David Silva, plus kiddies, comes onto the pitch to rapturous applause. The Spanish international, of course, is one of a handful of stars to have had a statue erected outside the Etiahd - how many of the current squad will have that honour bestowed on them when they retire? Phil Foden, at 24, currently looks a red-hot bet.

It’s your typically chaotic pre-match touchline scene at the Etihad with dozens of “Tunnel Club” exec punters corralled along the touchline watching their heroes warm up. There is also the sight of Noel Gallagher being interviewed by the club’s TV channel on the pitch. It’s almost exactly 28 years to the day since his old band, Oasis played two legendary sell-out concerts at Maine Road that still live large in Manchester pop culture folklore - safe to say a lot has changed for his beloved City in the three decades since.

I’ll probably find it tough sat upstairs, you feel like you can have less of an impact. Which is probably not really true because the impact you have from the touchline is probably limited anyway. 

We know it, we did in the past with Liverpool, you see how strong Arsenal is so we have to do our job [on every game being a final].

At the end, human beings play a football game at 5.30. What we have done before does not mean we have a good performance.

Man City XI: Ederson, Walker, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, Kovacic, Foden, Haaland

Subs: Dias, Stones, Grealish, Doku, Ortega, Alvarez, Gomez, Matheus Luiz, Lewis

Wolves XI: Jose Sa, Ait Nouri, Kilman, Gomes, Nelson Semedo, Joao Gomes, Mario Lemina, Traore, Hugo Bueno, Matheus Cunha, Hwang

Subs: Doherty, Santiago Bueno, Sarabia, Bentley, Bellegarde, Gonzalez, Okoduwa, Chirewa, Fraser

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The baton passes to Manchester City following Arsenal’s lunchtime victory over Bournemouth and the task at hand for Pep Guardiola’s team remains unchanged.

As has been the case since the Sunday when Arsenal lost to Arsenal Villa and Liverpool lost to Crystal Palace, if City win their remaining games they will be champions for a fourth consecutive season.

The first of four remaining games comes at home to Wolves this evening, before trips to London to face Fulham and Spurs and a home match against West Ham on the final day. Four comfortable fixtures in truth, against teams with little to play for as Spurs recede in the race for Champions League football. 

That said, with Arsenal 10 goals better off than City on goal difference, it would only take a City draw to open the door for Mikel Arteta’s teams. The fact Arsenal almost went in at half-time goalless against Bournemouth despite winning the shot count 16 to one, shows a strong performance is not always insurance against football’s vagaries.

Wolves will not have manager Gary O’Neil on the touchline today who is serving a one-game ban for an FA charge of improper conduct towards a referee. In better news, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Pedro Neto and Santiago Bueno are back in training. Wolves beat City 2-1 earlier in the season with Hwang scoring the winner. Wolves City home and away in 2019-20 and could become the first team to record more than one league double against a side managed by Pep Guardiola 

Manchester City welcome back Phil Foden and Ruben Dias following illness, and first-choice goalkeeper Ederson has also recovered. Pep Guardiola has said Erling Haaland is fit to start. City could have had a Champions League semi-final to contend with this last week, but the extra rest makes a slip-up feel less likely.

Full team news on the way shortly.